Journal of Ohio Archaeology

The Ringler Dugout Revisited

N’omi B. Greber, Katherine C. Ruhl, and Isaac Greber

Abstract

In late November 1976, the Ringler Dugout was accidently discovered during commercial dredging excavations in Mud Lake, part of Savannah Lakes, Ashland County, Ohio. The significance of the find was recognized by the excavator and the land owner and reported to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The craft was quickly moved to the Museum for preservation and study. A summary of the two phases of the seven and half year preservation process is given. The results of dynamic stability experiments carried out on a scale model at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University demonstrate that the craft responds slowly and stably to rolling disturbances. It is a sturdy and heavy boat likely useful in shallow swampy waters. Three radiocarbon dates differ from the date reported in 1982. These place the making and use of the Dugout in the mid-seventeenth century.